Henry b



(No Model.)

E. B. ST..JOHN.

DRAFT ATTAGHMBNT POR VBHIGLES.- No. 533,617. Patented Feb. 5, 1895 .o vehicles.

UNITED STATES HENRY B. S'l. JOHN, OF KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN, ASSIGOR OF TVOTI'IIRDS TO SARAH M. ST. JOHN AND CHAR-LES D. FULLER, OF SAllIE PLACE.

DRAFT ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 533,61*?, dated February 5, 1895.

Application filed December l0. 1894. Serial No. 531,364. (No model.) Y

'o @ZZ whom. t rmty concern.:

Be it known that I, HENRY B. ST. JOHN, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Kalamazoo, in the county of Kalamazoo and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft Attachments for Vehicles, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to improvements in It relates more especially to the draft attachment for vehicles.

One object of my invention is to provide means for equalizing the draft and shifting it from side to side so that the draft shall 5 come opposite any obstruction to the vehicle :o wagons, and causing injury and annoyance to animals drawing the same by jerking and jolting their collars. I accomplish ,these objects of my invention by the devices shown in the accompanying drawings, in whichv 5 Figure l represents a top plan view of my invention as applied to an ordinary lumber wagon. Fig. 2 presents a sectional view of the same taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, showing the appearance of the device when the ;o tongue is swung around inline with the reach at the center. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the rear end of the draw iron, G. Fig. 4t is an enlarged detail view of the slide portion, Il. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the 5 same. Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 6 6 of Fig. 4., and Fig. 7 is'a detail view of a portion of a modification of my device.

In the drawings, all the sectional views are taken looking in the direction of the little .o arrows.

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings, A represents the tongue of the wagon, B represents the forward axle,

.5 D the bolster, E the king bolt extending from the bolster down through the axle and through the reach, and C represents the reach, all of which are constructed in the ordinary form.

G represents the draw iron which is forked o in front one portion passing above and an other below the whiftletree evener, K. This draw iron, Gr,`is pivoted on a post at G', and an arm, I" extends rearwardly therefrom.

To the reach, O, is bolted the forwardly projecting arm, F, which is divided and passed to each side of the reach and is clipped to the same in any well lrnown manner, it being preferred to puta clip bolt above and aclip bolt below the reach where the device is placed upon a wagon already in use so that no injury or weakening of the parts willoccur. In new manufacture, the part, F, would loe bolted directly to the reach without intervention of clips or attached as I have shown, if preferred.

At the front of thearm, F, which projects a few inches in front of the end of the reach, is a downwardly project-ing pin, F', with a rounded lower end.

On the rearwardly projecting arm, I, is supported a sleeve or slide, II', which hears on its forward end a cam, H, containing a notch, H. The sleeve, H', slips over the arm, I, and the pin, I, is passed through a slot, J, in the same and secured through the forwardly projecting arm, I, thus retaining the cam, H, in position not allowing it to rotate but allowing it to reciprocate hack and forth. A spring, I', is put upon the sleeve and acts against the enlarged portions, G, or a suitable shoulder and against the hollowed out front side of the cam, I-l.

VVheu my invention is in use, it will be noted that whenever a wheel to one side of the wagon drops into a rut or encounters any other obstruction, it will of course be harder to draw than the opposite side and the tendency is to swing the tongue around violently to one side. Nith my improved device in use, as soon as the wheel encounters an obstacle, it acts through the arm, F, in the notch, I-l, in the cam, H, and moves the evener, K, over to that side bringing'the line of draft more nearly opposite the obstacle. As the team continues to draw, it will of course lift 95 the wheel out and the lever, I, acting through its connections on the lever, F, will tend to lift the wheel and throw the tongue of the wagon and reach into line so that the wagon will travel straight ahead again. This adjustment of the force, throwing it opposite the greatest resistence under all circum- IOC stances, is automatic and accomplishes the purpose perfectly. In turning around, with myimproved device upon the wagon, it would of course put unnecessary strain upon the draft of the wagon where it is not needed were no provision made for the same; but in turning around, the lengths of the parts are so adjusted that the cam, H, swings and separates from the lever, F and becomes disengaged so that in turning around the vehicle acts in the same manner as an ordinary wagon with the exception that the draw iron, G, acts as a link to connect the evener to the tongue instead of by a bolt through the evener and the tongue. When the wagon springs back to the straight line, the cam, H, strikes around to the position of the pin, F. The cam, H, is depressed owing to the spring, I', and allows the cam to engage the pin, F', at the end of the lever, F, thus throwing the parts into connection again.

I desire to state that my invention is adapted for use in any vehicle requiring a draft in which the forward axle is pivotally connected and can be readily adjusted by any one skilled in the construction of vehicles. lVhere the bolster, D, is rigidly secured to the body of the vehicle, the arm, F, can be attached thereto, as shown in Fig. 7, the effect being the same as though the arm, F, were attached to the reach. It is only necessary to secure the arm, F, to some rigid portion of the vehicle to act through a suitable connection on the lever, I", secured on a turning portion of the vehicle.

The construction of my device, from this explanation, it will be readily understood can be greatly varied without departing from my invention. t

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

I. In a draft attachment for vehicles, the combination with the reach, C, of the forwardly projecting arm, F; the downwardly projecting pin, F', at the front thereof; the tongue A; the draw irons, Gr, pivoted thereto at G the rearwardly projecting lever, I, in-

tegral with said draw irons; the sleeve H', bearing the cam, H, rounded off from all directions and containing notch, H, at its center adapted to engage the pin, F', and bring the pin in contact with said cam, H, all coacting together substantially as described for the purpose specified.

Y 2. In a draft attachment for vehicles, the combination with the rigid rear portion of the vehicle, of a projecting arm, F, downwardly projecting pin, F', thereon; draw iron, G, pivoted to the front turning portion of the vehicle the lever, I", integral with said draw iron; a depressible cam, H, on said lever, 1"; a notch, H", in said cam, H, at its center adapted to engage a pin, F', all co-acting together for the purpose specified.

3. In a draft attachment for vehicles, the draw iron pivoted to the front turning portion of the vehicle to act as a lever; suitable connection at the re'ar end of said lever with the rigid non-turning portion of said vehicle j to serve to shift the line of draft, for the purpose specified.

4. In a draft attachment for vehicles, a draw iron pivoted to the front turning portion of the vehicle to act as a lever; a depressible block cam portion on the rear end of said 1ever; a pin on the rigid non-turning portion of said vehicle to engage with the depressible cam to serve to shift the line of draft, for the purpose specified.

5. In a draft attachment for vehicles the draw iron pivoted to the front turning portion of the vehicle to act as a lever; a depressible block cam portion on the rear of said lever; a pin on the rigid non-turning portion of said vehicle to engage in a-notch in the depressible cam to shift the line of draft when obstructions are encountered and to break the connection when the wagon is turning, for the purpose specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and sealin the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY B. ST. JOHN. [1.. s]

Witnesses:

MARIAN I. LONGYEAR, WALTER S. Woon. 

